NASA finally officially launched the rocket Artemis 1 Wednesday (16/11) afternoon WIB. The launch took place in Florida, USA.
“After many delays and problems, NASA has finally launched the Artemis 1 rocket, the most powerful rocket NASA has ever developed and aims to bring humans back to the surface of the Moon after a 50-year absence,” wrote l Rawsalerts account.
The Artemis 1 mission is the first United States Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) mission to return astronauts to the Moon in the past 50 years. The rocket took off into space from Pad 39B Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA.
🚨#BREAK: NASA launched the most powerful rocket ever
After many delays and problems NASA has finally launched its Artemis 1 Rocket, the most powerful vehicle ever developed by NASA which aims to bring people back to the lunar surface after 50 years absence pic.twitter.com/2gN4X9ZJXW
— RAWSALERTS (@rawsalerts) November 16, 2022
As quoted by the NASA website, Artemis Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson gave the “go” instruction, Wednesday (11/16) at 0322 WIB, to load fuel into the SLS rocket. The process begins with the cooling of the core stage liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen transfer line.
The launch of the new rocket and spacecraft has encountered a number of technical problems resulting in several delays.
Previously, engine cooling problems forced NASA to cancel its first launch scheduled for August 29.
A second launch attempt on September 3 also failed due to a liquid hydrogen leak during refueling, forcing NASA to return the rocket to the assembly line for repairs.
NASA last landed humans on the Moon during the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972. After that, there was never another mission to the Moon by the agency.
Money is the cause. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said NASA would need to spend $20 to $30 billion to complete a mission to the moon.
“For the entire program, in order to have a continuous presence on the Moon, we estimate the cost to be between $20 billion (about Rp.102 trillion) and $30 billion,” Jim said in 2021 ago.
Jim explained, the money has been used to, among other things, recruit colleagues such as commercial companies and international partners, build a space station on the Moon, land humans on the South Pole of the Moon in 2024, and design the entire project as an exercise training for Mars missions.
Meanwhile, citing VOANews, for the Artemis mission, NASA is said to need $4.1 billion for each successful launch. NASA estimates that the entire Artemis program will cost $93 billion to finally successfully land humans on the moon, which is expected to be completed in 2025.
(leth)
